BioWare’s Anthem is getting mixed reviews

BioWare is a video game developer known for great games like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and the Mass Effect trilogy. Lately, the public opinion of the developer has gone downhill thanks to the release of Mass Effect: Andromeda. It was hoping to do something different with Anthem, but many were wary because it reminded them of Destiny and Iron Man. Well, the sci-fi third-person co-op game is out this Friday, but if you have Origin Access Premiere, you get to play it now. A few reviews have also arrived, and they have been mixed.

The game’s narrative wasn’t at the forefront and it’s light on content, according to JeuxActu.

“The narrative is clearly something that wasn’t given priority, to the benefit of combat and exploration. The game still needs more content to live up to the promise made by a publisher as big as EA.”

Destructoid gives it a 7/10 and understands that there will be plenty of fixes and updates along the way.

“BioWare will need to build quickly on top of its shimmering jet-fueled foundation to hold people’s interest, but folks looking for a new neighborhood to move into might want to give Anthem a try — either now or after fixes and updates.”

Gamersky has a score of 7/10 and has more bad things to say about Anthem like the dull story, repetitive and boring gameplay, many bugs and network issues.

“Wearing armor and fighting like the Iron Man is really amazing, but this game at this time is also full of flaws. The story is dull. The gameplay is repetitive and boring. What’s worse, there are too many bugs and network issues. Maybe it will be a great game when its DLCs come out.”

CGMagazine also gives it a score of 7/10 but reads more optimistically.

“Despite its myriad of issues, I still enjoyed the fun gameplay of Anthem and plan to revisit the game after it has developed a larger suite of content and events for me to experience.”

“Anthem has good ideas, but it struggles significantly with the execution. It’s a co-op game that works best with no one talking; it buries genuinely interesting character moments and puts its most incomprehensible story bits at the forefront; its combat is exciting until you get to the boss fights and find your wings have been clipped. Even the simple, exhilarating act of flying is frequently interrupted by the limitations of your javelin, and you never quite shake that feeling of disappointment–of knowing, throughout the good parts of Anthem, that you’ll inevitably come crashing back down.”

Polygon is worried about how long it will take for the game to finally reach its height.

“Playing Anthem, I can sense where this game is going. I just worry about how long it will take to get there.”

Where is Anthem headed? That’s a question that’s raised from Mashable.

“The real issue is the lack of purpose. Why does this game exist? What kind of experience is it trying to deliver? It may not be Destiny, but Anthem is a similar breed of online game and it needs fans to hop on board. BioWare’s never going to build up any kind of deeply invested community if it can’t give that community something to reach for.”

PC Gamer says it’ll most likely change a lot like other games of its kind, but they’re not hopeful.

“BioWare has already detailed some of what will be coming in the next few months. As a live service game, it’s reasonable to expect that Anthem will change a great deal the same way that Destiny 2, The Division, and Warframe have. BioWare certainly seems keen on responding quickly to feedback, which is promising. But I’m not going to hold my breath.”

Digital Trends‘ review is still in progress, but it says Anthem is a beautiful game that works well for the first 10 hours.

“There’s no question the world of Anthem is beautiful and entertaining, but it’s not much without its story, characters, and lore. When Anthem abandons what makes it enjoyable and unique, it becomes just another microtransaction loot shooter begging for your time. The first 10 hours of Anthem balanced its story and online multiplayer elements well, not feeding too much into one or the other. But as I approach the game’s final stretch, I’ll be looking to see if Anthem still treats its story as a key component, or decoration to distract from the grind.”